In 1888, Washington Atlee Burpee (1858-1915) purchased about 100 acres of land outside of Doylestown and named it Fordhook Farm, after his ancestor’s estate in England. Burpee wanted a site where he could develop and grow experimental vegetables for his seed business.
The fieldstone main house on the farmstead was built in the 18th century. Other buildings included a springhouse, a settlement house, a gatehouse and a large barn. Burpee added a Victorian style “cottage” for weekend and summer visits, as well as a large carriage house, greenhouses and several small houses for farm employees. In 1863, as his business grew, Burpee had a large seedhouse built for cleaning, preparing and storing seeds. In 1898, he bought an additional 100 acres, making his trial grounds the largest in the United States. After Burpee’s death, his son David took over the business and acquired 300+ acres during the 1920’s and 1930’s, which increased the farm to over 500 acres.
In 1963, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania exercised the right of eminent domain to construct a bypass for state highways 611 and 202 to go around Doylestown Borough. The construction consumed many acres of Fordhook land and divided the remaining property into several pieces. In 1973, the Burpees donated 7½ acres to the YMCA, another parcel was given to the B. C. Conservancy and another to New Britain Township for a new firehouse. By 1975, David and Lois Burpee had donated or sold most of the farm.
In the 1930s, David Burpee had developed a close relationship with William Eyster, a professor at Bucknell University, with whom he collaborated on breeding hybrid corn. (Burpee was also a trustee of the University for 45 years.) After Burpee’s death in 1980, much of the farm was liquidated and the bulk of the funds bequeathed to Bucknell to endow a professorship for the study of plant genetics.
However, Lois Burpee was not happy about giving up all of the estate which had been in the family for over 100 years. She agreed to give Bucknell 25 additional acres in return for the right to keep the 60-acre homestead with outbuildings, greenhouses and stone manor house.
Following the death of Lois Burpee in 1984, her two children, Jonathan and Blanche, converted the main house into a bed-and breakfast, The Inn at Fordhook Farm. In recognition of its historical significance, Fordhook Farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. After resisting many financially attractive offers, the Burpee family sold its final plot of land in 1999 to George Ball, Jr., the grandson of the founder of Ball Seed Company with whom the Burpee Company had done business for many years. The Burpees’ goal to find a buyer that would preserve the farm and not build townhouses had been realized.
On Aug. 21, 1895, an annual tradition was inaugurated on the grounds of Fordhook Farm — it was opened for a “Farmers’ Picnic.” According to the Doylestown Daily Republican, visitors got all that they wanted “whether lunch, information, or a big bunch of flowers to carry home.” On July 27, Fordhook Farm will once again open its gates to visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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